I Want To Believe: Posadism, UFOs and Apocalypse Communism

I Want To Believe: Posadism, UFOs and Apocalypse Communism A.M. Gittlitz (Pluto Press £16.99)

I first came across the Posadists when wandering over to the Student Union Bar one sunny lunchtime back in 1978. There was a pretty young French girl selling copies of their paper Red Flag which I had not seen or heard of before despite being fascinated by the far left at this early stage of my political development and picked up a copy.  

Every single article in the dreadful paper was written by some guy called J.Posadas who others more familiar with the sect soon told me about his wacky theories about Russia and China launching a nuclear war to wipe out capitalism and UFOs coming from "workers planets". And that was about it.  They were both a legend and a standing joke even on the far-left.

Members of the more mainstream Fourth International (the United Secretariat/International Marxist Group) and made it clear that the Poadists had discredited the Trotskyist movement in Cuba as a result of their absurd theories and they were a tiny irrelevant group. 

Given I only ever saw the one member selling the paper a couple of times in my life despite being a serial demonstration attendee the group were certainly not worth bothering about though the joke about UFOs did come up a few times. Of course there is much more to find out about this bizarre sect as Gittlitz tries to explain in his densely written but balanced history of Posadas and his followers.

It always amazes me how people who are superficially highly intelligent or committed get sucked into political organisations that are clearly cults rather than any type of "normal" political party and that's putting aside the fact that revolutionary politics are on the fringe of society in the first place.

There were (and still are) a variety of small groups and political organisations within what is generally referred to as the "Trotskyist" milieu. In my student days it was the SWP, Militant, the IMG and the WRP who garnered most of the attention. Even the rabid Spartacist League that suddenly burst on the scene were more visible than any UFO friendly revolutionaries.

However as we discover the anglo-centric view of Trotskyism that I and most others grew up with in the seventies and eighties was far from the normas other groups not represented on the British scene. There were the Lambertistes (former allies of Healy's WRP) the Morenites and of course the Posadists whose presence in South America was noticeable at least for a while and became the standard by which opponents judged Trotskyists in general.

There was far more to Posadas than UFOs and Nuclear war. Unlike British WRP cult leader Gerry Healy, Posadas was puritanical for much of his political career advising his followers to eschew sexual relationships as a "distraction" from activism though that did eventually go by the wayside when a young female comrade was caught giving the leader a blowjob during an event in Italy by her boyfriend.

Posadas also thought jokes were a feature of capitalism and explains the humourless and deadpan approach to politics he and his followers showed. Posadas ranted at all and any that he might even thought disagreed with him. Expulsions and neo-Maoist self criticism were features of the Posadist organisation. His one to one sessions with activists seemed to act as "brainwashing" sessions.

The whole story of Posadism is littered with chronic examples of cultism that has been so prevalent of the left, especially the "Trotskyist" milieu. Posadas was just one of a whole line of petty cult leaders like Healy, Robertson, Barnes & Lambert. 

There are still followers of Posadas around though they keep themselves well hidden these days. This book written with perhaps too much sympathy to the subject matter cannot hide the abject failure of yet another Marxist sect. 

Of course the group has no relevance at all in the modern age but every so often we are reminded of their existence. One Posadist actually attended Labour Party conference as a delegate during the Corbyn era. 

For inveterate Trot spotters this is an essential volume covering a fascinating piece of political absurdity.

You can find the posadists on-line here: quatrieme-internationale-posadiste.org

DARK SARAH - New Album | Napalm Records

It's Saturday night and nowhere to go. In fact it'll be a while before music venues and concerts will be open for business again. So with that in mind here's news of a new release that caught my attention and has been pre-ordered

The new album from Finnish band Dark Sarah, Grim is due for release on July 17th from Napalm records. There are a couple of songs available now for download including this one.

Official website: darksarahwebstore.com

How to Criticize Israel Without Being Antisemitic

Cross Post by Emmanuel Miller and Shoshana Keats Jaskoll

In recent years, Jews have increasingly found themselves at the center of political debates in America and Britain, often in relation to Israel and Jews’ connections to Israel.

While criticism of Israel and advocacy for Israel is not inherently antisemitic, much of it departs from the realm of fair comment and crosses the boundary into antisemitism. But, when this is pointed out, Jews are often accused of ‘playing the antisemitism card’. This makes light of bigotry, and undermines the ability to separate between legitimate criticism and illegitimate smears. In the absence of a single universally accepted definition of antisemitism, perhaps this list of things to remember will help people who want to fairly criticize Israel without falling into antisemitic canards or tropes.

1. Israel, and Israelis, exist

Israel is not a theoretical model; there are real people involved. Many of us desperately want peace and security. Whatever we say or believe, our human rights are not conditional. We aren’t an abstract idea, don’t suggest putting thousands or millions of real lives at risk.

2. Jews are not the same as Israel

Jews have a wide range of opinions, and many Jews around the world aren’t really aware of what’s going on in Israel. If individual or Catholics in general shouldn’t be attacked for the actions or positions of the Vatican, and if most people agree that Muslims should not held responsible for terrorism, then Jews should not be conflated with Israel. Don’t blame “Jews” for Israeli policies you don’t like.

3. Criticize specific policies

Vague assertions of Israeli control or evildoing echo centuries of vague assertions of Jewish control and mendaciousness. Both are smears, putting Jews and Israelis on the defensive against pernicious claims that are hard to pin down. If you want to honestly criticize Israel, do so by addressing specific issues and acts.

4. Make a fair attempt to understand Israeli policies

If you have an issue with Israeli policy, take the time to understand it and why it was implemented. For example, Israel’s security barrier. Where is it? Why was it placed there? What legal processes did it go through? What were the results on both sides?

5. Speak from a place of knowledge, accuracy and context

Whether Israel or another topic, you should never debate when unfamiliar with the basics. Take a moment to look up what’s going on, read a wide variety of sources, understand different perspectives, and make sure you get your facts right. Check out the history – it’s rarely one-sided. When you speak from ignorance you make grave errors and things seem overly simple.

6. Work towards solutions, not Israel’s destruction

If you seek to avoid claims of being antisemitic, avoid advocating for the destruction of the state home to the world’s largest population of Jews. (Refer to tip #1.) Determine whether your words feed into the incessant blaming of Israel or unreasonable demands that Israelis put themselves at risk, or whether they help advance the cause of peace by suggesting just solutions and realistic changes.

7. Recognize the conflict is not one-sided

Nothing is black and white. Imagining one party to be uniformly evil and the other as helpless victims is simplistic and unhelpful. Both Israelis and Palestinians have experienced pain. Both desire self determination. Wanting peace and security for Palestinians shouldn’t negate wanting it for Israelis Even if you truly believe that Israel is responsible for the situation, acting as if Israelis have no legitimate concerns and fears denies reality and characterizes Israelis as unreasonable, uniformly warmongering, and feeds into concerted attempts to destroy Israel.

8. Avoid known racist tropes when speaking of Israel or Jews

Words such as hypnotized, cabal, Jewish money, globalists, and many more have long been used to discredit Jews. Avoid them. If, for example, you wish to talk about Jewish influence on politics through organisations like AIPAC, carefully appraise your use of language and consider how much influence AIPAC really has compared to other organisations. (Hint: AIPAC’s “Jewish money” is only the second-biggest pro-Israel lobby in America. The biggest is actually CUFI, a Christian organization.)

9. Recognize Jewish indigeneity to the land.

Jews come from Judea. They lived in Israel for thousands of years. Denying the connection between Jews and Israel is antisemitism.

10. Don’t blame Israel for the world’s ills

If you’re tempted to blame the world’s ills on Israel, you’re exhibiting not only a lack of knowledge of world affairs, but demonstrable antisemitism. Portraying Israel as the cause of all that’s wrong in the world doesn’t lend itself to open, constructive debate.

In conclusion, it’s easy to criticize Israel without being antisemitic. Focus on policy. Commit to accuracy. Include context. Eschew superficial chants. If you find that too hard, well, you may just be an antisemite.

Sparks - Lawnmower New Single

Sparks was one of the more entertaining bands from the seventies that we all remember not just because of the catchy tunes but also for the guy with the Hitler mustache. They're still going of course and I picked up one of their re-releases last year. However they have a new album on the way A Steady Drip, Drip Drip, due out on July 3rd. 

The band have released this rather entertaining single (available for download) which is only the second song containing a reference to a lawnmower (the other being an old prog rock track from Genesis back in the seventies).

Official website: allsparks.com

Towards a new social contract

Despite the virus being the main issue facing us all it's not a subject I have chosen to address either here or on my Facebook page as there are far too many reports and posts on the subject many by people who clearly don't know what they are talking about. 

Neither have I chosen to comment on how the crisis has been handled by the Government. I remain of the opinion that things would not be different no matter who was in charge and frankly given the alternative at the last General Election things could have been worse. A lot worse.

As politics begin again after the lockdown there does need to be accountability for some of what has happened mainly to ensure that next time there is a pandemic the country is better prepared. The new leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer has surprised me with his measured response to the problems arising from the government's handling of the crisis and has acted in a responsible way that seems to have gone down well with the public.

However it it is noticeable from polling that party fortunes do not seem to have altered much. In fact the current Government remains high in the polls despite some misgivings by commentators and the public. There is little point to recriminations especially since the crisis is far from over and much remains to be done.

As the country begins to wake out of it's lock-down and the economy is gradually kick-started we all need to remain vigilant and responsible but recognise that difficult times are ahead. So much remains changed. Foreign holidays and concerts remain a distant prospect and rightly but people do need to return to work where at all possible in order to preserve their livelihoods and how we do this is far from an easy task.

No matter what the government says or does there will be criticism, some justified and others not. I am appalled by some of the comments made on social media which are just full of bile and hate. This pandemic produced a unique situation that not just this country but the world has not faced since the Spanish Flu during and after the First World War.

Mistakes have been made and are likely to be made again. The Government needs to learn from them and a responsible opposition will need to apply pressure where necessary to ensure this but also cooperate and support where they get it right. 

The majority of people have shown that there is hope for the return of reason to our political system and our institutions especially the NHS but also the BBC and the Queen have shown they also have a vital role that needs to be preserved.

The divisions of the past over Brexit and Corbynism need to be put aside and a new social contract built around what is the best this country and it's people have to offer.

The far-left reverts to type but the fight is not over

A tweet from the ever publicity seeking Kerry-Anne Mendoza promised us that on Sunday at e 11 AM or thereabouts her website would be publishing an earth shattering exclusive about the behaviour of "Right-Wing MPs and members" inside the Labour Party. Of course it turned out to be a damp squib.

The opening sentence that The Canary was one of three alternative news sites was enough to pour cold water on anything that followed. If there is one thing that The Canary isn't it's a "news site". It doesn't print news The Canary publishes propaganda. It's no more a news site that this blog is.

Before the internet The Canary would probably have been a more rancid version of Red Pepper, a non-aligned left magazine. No more a newspaper than Socialist Worker or indeed the Morning Star which was also promoting the subject of the article which was basically defending the disgraced anti-Semite Zionist former MP Chris Williamson.

The left having lost their figurehead in the "Dear Leader" Jeremy Corbyn who has returned to to his political non-entity status on the back benches are looking for new causes. Mendoza herself is not actually a member of the Labour Party but seeks to influence and organise the extra parliamentary left alongside fellow miscreant like Tony Greenstein and Jackie Walker.

Williamson has now decided that following his former constituents overwhelming rejection of him and his politics during the General Election coming bottom of the poll with a derisory 635 votes or just 1.35% that Parliamentary Politics are no longer the way forward.



Unsurprisingly he tells readers of the Communist Party's mouthpiece the Morning Star that "we would do better to focus our energies on developing extra-parliamentary activities" and should learn lessons from groups like the Black Panthers. The irony of seeking an audience through a Stalinist newspaper that does not actually believe in any form of democracy simply the supremacy of the party is lost on him and probably his remaining supporters.

The left is lost with Momentum running a slowly declining campaign to retain control with at least two other competing groups using the same name Forward Momentum and Internationalist Momentum. Then there's the Labour Left left Alliance and a myriad of tiny groups competing for hegemony amongst the flotsam that was Corbynism.



Meanwhile George Galloway's new Workers Party set up in conjunction with the help of the pro-North Korean Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) flounders with barely an audience even amongst the fallen ranks of Corbyn's disciples.

The far-left is gradually reverting to type squabbling and navel gazing but the struggle to rebuild social democracy remains difficult as the comrades fight a rear guard action as Labour attempts to become an electable political party once more.

My Search For Revolution - Clare Cowen

My Search For Revolution & How we brought down an abusive leader - Clare Cowen (Matador Paperback/£19.99)

This is not a new book having been released last year though this has been on my list of things to blog about since I read a while back. This is the story of a woman and her involvement in the Workers Revolutionary Party and with it's leader Gerry Healy and the abuse both she and other members suffered.

In 1985 the WRP daily newspaper the News Line published a headline that shocked everyone who either was part of or monitored the far left: G. Healy expelled from the WRP. Details were sparse at first but the situation became clearer and the WRP split into two factions both publishing a  newspaper called the News Line it became known that Healy, the party founder and leader had been busing female members of the party including some of it's younger members.

For many years outsiders had viewed the Workers Revolutionary Party as a cult. It was notoriously sectarian and prone to using slander and physical violence against it's opponents and own members on occasion. Healy himself was a former Stalinist who back in the thirties before his conversion had been known to be liberal with his fists against Trotskyists. It seems this habit stayed with hi all his life.

Until the split no one knew the size of the organisation and it was rumoured to be financed by Libyan and Iraqi petro-dollars. In fact this not only turned out to be true it seems Healy utilised Vanessa and Corin Redgrave to facilitate fund raising in the Gulf States.

The WRP had started out as a Trotskyist current inside the Labour Party after the collapse of the Revolutionary Party which contained the three main British Trotskyist leaders, Tony Cliff, Ted Grant and Gerry Healy. Cliff founded the International Socialists,  Grant the Militant Tendency and Healy the WRP.

Over the years the organisations fortunes changed and as the Socialist Labour League managed to attract more than a few activists and in the early sixties even managed to take control of the Labour Party's Young Socialists upon which it became proscribed.



Over the years Healy led an organisation that gradually evolved into  very inward looking sect expelling anyone that dared criticise the great leader himself. Even the WRP's own version of the Fourth International was very heavily controlled by Healy and his acolytes.

Meanwhile one member, Clare Cowen became attracted to the SLL/WRP via their line on the Rhodesian crisis and became heavily involved. The book weaves a tale of how she and her partner became part of the Party Centre and Cowen explains how her partner was manipulated out the Centre over a cupboard by Healy who it turned out had designs on her.

In very forthright terms Cowen explains that healy had in asked her to remove her dress in his private office and she submitted to sex with  him that became a regular occurance. A leader with needs she mused not recognising the controlled abuse at first. these were very different times. Cowen also thought wrongly that she was the only one.



The long road to the collapse of the WRP over two things a financial crisis and a letter from Aileen Jennings, Healy's Private Secretary outlining the sexual abuse he had been undertaking over the years. The shock and betrayal is clear as is the resulting anger not just from the author but so many of those who had made such sacrifices for this man and his cause.

The rest is history as they say and has been documented in many places. Yet even to the end healy had supporters. Despite his death the man still has followers maintaining an archive and he has never been fully written out of the history of the tendency he created as so many were complicit in his political crimes.

The sadness is that after all this the author does try to persuade herself the cause was right as do so many but these lessons seem lost on so many. The Socialist Workers Party split apart after trying to cover abuse by one it's leaders in the Comrade Delta affair. Even now the remnants of the SWP are squabbling over other scandals in UCU and their Tyneside Branch.

History can and does repeat itself in that with power no matter how small the environment is can corrupt and causes harm to those involved. Just as priests and pastors can be perverted, Trotskyists are not immune.